Auriemma Thrilled With Crowd At Webster Bank Arena

The Huskies played before their first sellout crowd at Webster Bank Arena today since they lost to Duke in the 2006 regional final before 9,091. UConn defeated Maryland 76-50 before 8,594. (The crowd size is different now due to the reconfiguration of the arena)

UConn drew 4,563 in the first round last season and 4,372 in the second round. In 2008, crowds of 6,556 (first round) and (second round) were on hand.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma was extremely pleased with the atmosphere.

“Today was amazing,’’ Auriemma said. “And, again, I don’t know the reason for it. I don’t know … Obviously, ticket prices were perfect compared to last year. The teams were the right of four teams, maybe. The game times were perfect. Maybe just everything came together. But the atmosphere was amazing. It really, really was. They’ve done a magnificent job down here with this building. You look around and it’s a really, really, really great place to play.’’

The venue is expected to be at least “near capacity’’ Monday when UConn meets Kentucky in the regional final.

5 Responses

We parked a block away for $10 – no problem geting in and out, lots of police controling traffic……much better than getting out of Gampel or XL after a game. I agree with Geno that everyone did a great job with crowd control….and take it from me, food was
W-A-A-A-Y better than options at Gampel and XL Center!

I don’t think a lot of people are happy with this arena or location. First of all the parking nightmare is reason enough not to come back and at $20 it’s a rip off. Second, the area may be modern and nice but it’s too small for a large crowd like that. The concessions availability and choices are a joke. I scalped my tickets for Monday and won’t ever go back to Bridgeport. It’s the same thing with the Gathering of the Vibes down there – Bridgeport is still the dump of CT.

Kentucky can defeat UConn even on a CT court. Huskies have trouble handling the ball against pressure. Hartley panics at the site of pressure. Geno has yanked Jefferson on many occassions. Doty is too hampered to deal with Wildcat pressure. One top seed is out. Notre Dame will choked tomorrow. Geno knows the Elite Eight (regional final) is the most difficult game of the tournament. UConn coaching staff is not getting much sleep right now.